Theological Groups

There are five main groups in Western theology:

1. Roman Catholic: Catholicism recognises the authority of scripture, but also adds to it the apocrypha and Roman Catholic tradition as equal with scripture. They claim that we must use the Catholic catechism to interpret the Bible. It also holds to allegory and authority through personal works-holiness.

2. Reformed Theology: This claims that only scripture is authoritative in theology. It further claims that the Bible interprets itself in its own context. It claims that the authority for Christian life is faith, empowered by God’s Spirit.

3. Liberal Theology: This claims that rationalism is the only authority, not accepting anything by faith or on the authority of scripture. It only accepts what is natural and seems logical.

4. Fundamentalism: Authority is in the scripture, but this is a Cessationist, non-Pentecostal authority. It also holds to allegory and Dispensationalism to reinterpret scripture in the light of science.

5. Neo-Orthodoxy: This claims that experience, culture and religious community are the authorities for theology. It claims theology is progressive and the scripture is not authoritative.

Pentecostalism has its main heritage in Reformed Theology, but with Pietism, Wesleyanism, Fundamentalism, Restorationism and more recently Neo-Orthodoxy integrated. Neo-Pentecostalism today is in some places shifting away from sola scriptua to Neo-Orthodoxy with its human experience centre, embracing more animist and anthropological sources of interpretation.